This disclosure relates generally to fiber optic connectors, and more particularly fiber optic connectors suitable for use in data centers or the like. This disclosure also relates to cable assemblies, systems, and methods including such fiber optic connectors.
Optical fibers and copper wires are useful in a wide variety of applications, including the telecommunications industry for data transmission. In a telecommunications system that uses either of these data transmission elements, there are typically many locations where cables that carry the elements connect to equipment or other cables. Connectors are typically provided on the ends of the cables to conveniently provide these connections. The connectors are designed to be received in ports that align the optical fiber(s) carried by connectors with the optical fiber(s) of other connectors or with equipment (e.g., transceivers) so that data can be transmitted between the components.
The demand for high bandwidth tends to drive a need for high-density interconnects, i.e. a large number of optical connections in a given space. By increasing the number of optical connections, more data can be transmitted in the given space. It can be a challenge, however, to design fiber optic connectors cable of providing high-density interconnects. The fiber optic connectors often become more difficult to handle and less robust as components are made smaller.